Join the Nature Conservancy from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 20, for its first volunteer work day to begin restoration at the former Chapman Hills Girl Scout Camp, the newest segment of the conservancy’s Crooked Creek Preserve northwest of East Troy.
The conservancy recently acquired the 107-acre former camp in Walworth County from the Girl Scouts. The land had been used as a Girl Scout camp since 1960, and contains a stretch of the Mukwonago River, forest, wetlands and globally rare oak savanna. It is home to several uncommon plants and animals.
Volunteers will help remove invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle to encourage the growth of native plant species. Volunteers should dress for the weather in layers and bring sturdy work gloves.
Bring a lunch to eat in the lodge on the property, and Land Steward Jerry Ziegler will talk about the Conservancy’s goals for the property and the organization’s work in the Mukwonago River Watershed.
The conservancy purchased the property from the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois with funding provided by the estate of Newell and Ann Meyer. The Meyers were Milwaukee residents whose gift of land and assets to the Conservancy in 2006 helped create a nature sanctuary named for them about three miles northwest of the Crooked Creek Preserve.
Over time, Nature Conservancy land managers and volunteers will remove invasive species and bring fire back to oak savannas and other fire-dependent plant communities to restore and maintain their health.
To get to camp at N9372 Scout Road in East Troy, from the junction of highways 12 and 67 continue straight ahead (east) on Highway 20 for 1.5 miles to where Highway 20 intersects with Highway J. Continue straight on Highway J for 1.5 miles to Scout Road.
Turn left on Scout Road. Follow Scout Road for 2-1/4 miles to a group of red farm buildings and a silo on the right. Turn right and follow the directional signs on the driveway to the lodge, which is painted pale blue.
For more information about the Nature Conservancy, visit nature.org/wisconsin.
